Continuous smelting



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1,

W. S. REESE 8: E. E. ARMSTRONG. CONTINUOUS SMELTING PLANT.

No. 605,464. Patented June 7,1898.

wrrnzs'sss (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. s. REESE & E. E. ARMSTRONG. CONTINUOUS SMELTING PLANT. No. 605,464.

Patented June "7, 1898.

WITNESSES INVENTORS" ZMw J. M

mm W2 iw 4 lhvrrn h'ra'rns mer much WILLIAM S. REESE AND EDWARD E. ARMSTRONG, OF NATRONA, PENNSYL- VANIA, ASSIGNORS TO THE PENNSYLVANIA SALT MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

CONTINUOUS SIVlELTlNG. PLANT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 605,464, dated June 7, 1898.

Application filed March 3Q, 1897. Serial No. 629,965. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM S. REES and EDWARD E. ARMSTRONG, of Natrona,in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Continuous SmeltingPlants, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this IO specification, in which- Figure 1 is a general side elevation of our improved plant; and Fig. 2 is atop plan view of the same, partly broken away, to show the arrangement of the parts.

I 5 Our invention relates to the melting of ores and mattes, and more especially to the reduction of mattes containing copper, whether argentiferous or not, and is designed to afford a 7 continuous smelting furnace by which han- 2o (lling and remelting of the metal and mattes are almost entirely done away with, while the capacity of output is largely increased.

In the drawings, 2 2 represent a pair of blast smelting furnaces located above the 2 5 floor-level, these furnaces having downtakes 3 3, which lead to the usual dust-catcher 4, from which a stack-flue leads to a stack 5. Between these furnaces are located two elevators 6 6, from which the material is dumped 0 into a hopper 7, having spouts 8 8, leading to the furnaces. In front of the two furnaces extends an elevated track 9, which is preferably at about the level of the charging-doors 10. Each furnace is provided with a settler 11, whose wheels rest upon rails of a track 12, extending in front of the furnaces. From the slag-spouts 13 of these settlers lead adjustable inclined troughs 14., through which the slag is directed into a slag-pit 15, which is supplied with water, so that as the slag flows into the pit it will become granulated and dropinto the receptacle 16. This receptacle may be lifted out of the pit from time to time by means of a crane 17 and dumped upon a car or elsewhere, as desired. Adjacent to each smelting-furnace is a series of reducingfurnaces 18, of which there may be any desired number, the furnaces of each series being at successively lower levels, a refining-furnace 19 being provided at the end of the series. Be-

tween each of the reducing-furnaces are located settlers 20, which are preferably mounted upon wheels, so that the material may be tapped from one'furnace into the settler and the settler then run along a track or support to the next furnace, into which the molten metal is charged from the settler.

Instead of moving the settlers from one furnace to the next we may provide troughs 21,leading to and from the furnaces to the set tlers between them, so that the metal tapped from one furnace maybe run by gravity into the settler and thence run by gravity into the next furnace of the series.

It is evident that if movable settlers are employed between the furnaces they may be located upon the same general level.

For each series of furnaces we provide a crane 17' and a slag-pit 15', in which the slag from the settlers between the furnaces may be granulated and handled, as described in relation to the pit 15. These cranes may also be employed in case of stoppage of one of the furnaces to carry the settler from the previous one of the series to any succeeding one or to the refining-furnace, so as not to interfere with the continuous operation of the plant.

lVe have found that the use of the settlers between the several furnaces is of great ad vantage in getting rid of the slag and separating the copper and the matte, thus reducing the amount of work in operating the furnaces.

The operation of the plantwill be apparent to those skilled in the art, the matte and metalpassing from the blast-furnace into its settler and thence being charged into the nearest reducing-fu rnace, where air is blown in and the metal reduced, so asto give a larger percentage of metal, after which the charge is tapped into one of the settlers, from which it is charged into another furnace of the series, the operation being carried on until the desired percentage of metal is obtained. The metal is preferably taken from the last reducing-furnace to the refining-furnace, Where the operation is completed and the copper or other metal cast into cakes, bars, or ingots. I

It is evident that when in operating the plant either blastfurnace settler may be tapped into any one of the reducing-furnaces and that the metal from any settler between the reducing-furnaces may be charged into any one of the other reducing-furnaces or into the refining-furnace.

The advantages of our invention result from the fact that the handling of the metal is almost entirely done away with, the metal and mattes being kept molten, thus saving the fuel necessary in remelting, while the mechanical loss is reduced to a very small amount. The arrangement of the settlers enables the plant to be worked continuously even though one or more of the furnaces is 2. A continuous smelting plant comprising an elevated smelting-furnace, a series of reducing-furnaces at successively lower levels, a movable settler for the smelting-furnace arranged to discharge into any of the reducingfurnaces, and settlers between and connected to the reducing-furnaces.

3. A continuous smelting plant comprising two elevated smelting-furnaces, a series of reducing-furnaces for each smelting-furnace, a movable settler for each smelting-furnace arranged to discharge into any of the reducing-furnaces therefor, and settlers located between and connected to the said reducingfurnaces.

4. A continuous smelting plant,comprising a smelting-furnace, a settler therefor, a series of red ucing-furnaces having settlers between the same, and means for feeding the metal from any settler of the reducing-furnaces into any furnace of the series.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

WILLIAM S. REESE. EDWARD E. ARMSTRONG. WVitnesses:

Jos. A.'PURVIS, A. L. HERBST. 

